GAME NIGHT 8/18: Villa Park/Damien

Damien's Logan Lauti has already rushed for a touchdown and caught a TD pass this season. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.

Damien has started off the season with back-to-back wins for the second time in three years. Now the Monarchs get their biggest test to date as they host Villa Park, a 3A team from California, at Skippa Diaz Stadium. The Spartans have dominated the Crestview League in recent years and are ranked No. 11 in Orange County as one of the best public school teams.

Since 1973, Damien is 1-4 against mainland teams.

2012, beat Vacaville (Calif.) 78-0
1994: Lost to University (Calif) 10-0
1994: Lost to Marina (Calif.) 34-0
1993: Lost to Edison (Calif) 22-21
1990: Lost to Capistrano Valley 29-15

Unsportsmanlike penalty on the TD celebration so Villa Park kicks off from its 25. Damien has all three timeouts and will start on its 20. After a penalty, 15-yard completion to Pomai Kim who gets out of bounds at the 30. Timeout Damien as its third-and-15. Shipton gets his third sack but then is called for a penalty and ejected from the game. Didn’t see what happened. Now an argument about where the ball will be spotted. Fourth-and-7 from the 33. Last chance for Damien. PASS COMPLETE to Sevellija for a first down. Next pass is PICKED OFF BY BONILLA. What a game for Bonilla. That should do it.

Talavera stopped for no gain. Second down. Talavera to the outside gets 2 yards but he goes out of bounds. Clock stops. Third-and-8. Deep ball to Bonilla is CAUGHT. 90-yard TD on third down. Perfect throw on the run. 14-6, 1:56 left.

Monarchs ball on their 40. 3:22 to go down 1. Arechhi with a 12-yard reception and then he’s hit helmet to helmet. Penalty on the Spartans move the ball to the 33. Procedure on Damien. Monarchs fans going crazy on the bleachers but it isn’t helping. Damien is on offense. DEEP BALL TO Sevellija and both guys seem to catch it. They give Bonilla the INT. Ball was at the 8. Huge play.

Villa Park ball on its 40. 6:08 left. Procedure penalty makes it third-and-9 at the 41. Piferi finds Ancich for 11 yards to move the chains. Third-and-3 at the Damien 42 as we go under four minutes. Talavera stopped for a 1-yard gain and it’s fourth-and-2. Halili with the big stop. They will go for it. Hakai with the carry and he’s stopped right at the marker. Another measure. Matthew Faufata-Pedrina on the tackle and they are SHORT. Damien ball.

Monarchs get the ball on their 40 to start. 9:23 left. Faufata-Pedrina escapes pressure and hits Sevellija for 11 yards into Villa Park territory. Tua’vao with the sixth sack of the night for Villa Park and it’s third-and-long. Faufata-Pedrina scrambles for 12 on third-and-13 and Damien will go for it. Monarchs need a yard. Faufata-Pedrina tries to sneak it but he’s stopped right at the marker. They will measure. He’s short and Villa Park takes over.

Punt just barely into the end zone and Villa Park will start on its 20. Third-and-2 and Piferi finds Bonilla for 4 yards. Bonilla with eight receptions for 67 yards. Third-and-10 and Piferi overthrows a wide open receiver. Punt time.

Interesting play call and Ancich thought it was third down. Damien ball. Third-and-12 and Arecchi with a 27-yard reception into Villa Park territory. Kaohi with a 27-yard run to the 22. Ball is up in the air and ARECCHI has it. NO. He’s called out of bounds. Close play at back of end zone. Now an illegal block by Damien.

Spartans start on their 15. Villa Park goes up-tempo and has a fourth-and-1 at the Damien 40. Hakai with an 8-yard carry for a first down. Talavera runs for 9 but some action after the whistle and Villa Park called for a 15-yard penalty. Fourth-and-6 on the Damien 28 and Villa Park will go. Hakai runs for 3 but is stopped by Blair and Damien takes over.

Spartans try an onside kick but Damien recovers on its 39. Faufata-Pedrina hits Jarvis Natividad for 9 yards. First catch for Natividad. Blindside block however turns second-and-1 into second-and-16. Shipton gets his second sack and it’s third-and-a-mile. Arecchi 1-on-1 on the outside and he burns his defender for a 41-yard gain and a first down. WOW. Natividad with his third catch on the drive and it goes for 10 yards to move the chains to the 26. Kauhi picks up 4. Drive has taken up over five minutes now. Third-and-8 and Faufata-Pedrina throws for the end zone. CAUGHT BY ARECCHI. TOUCHDOWN MONARCHS. Extra point is no good but it’s 7-6. A nine-play, 71-yard drive that takes up 6:03.

Punt takes a Damien bounce and Monarchs will start in Villa Park territory at the 46. Spartans called for an unsportsmanlike penalty after a big hit on the receiver after the ball popped off his fingertips. Another shaky call there. Now the refs mark off 20 yards to the 25 instead of 15 to the 30. Kauhi stopped for a loss and it’s third down with 1:20 to go. Damien has an open receiver in the end zone but the DB hits the receiver before the ball gets there. Defensive pass interference and it’s first down at the 13. A defensive holding moves the ball to the 6. An inside screen goes for a loss of 3. After an incomplete pass it’s third-and-6 at the 9. 14 seconds to go. Timeout Damien. Faufata-Pedrina eludes a sack and throws it out of the back of the end zone. Damien will try a 27-yard field goal with 7 seconds left. Kaimana Cameron in to kick. Cameron hooks it wide left and it’s halftime.

Sevillija has an easy INT go over his head as Piferi was drilled on the throw. Damien forces third-and-12 at the Villa Park 29. Shiloh Kaeo blows up a screen as it falls incomplete but Kaeo hurt on the play. He walks off under his own power. Looks like a shoulder. Let’s see if Villa Park actually punts on this one.

Monarchs start on their 29. Nope. Looks like an assistant coach got flagged for yelling something. Damien still upset about that earlier call I bet but it costs them yards. Short pass to Sevellija for 9 yards and Damien will punt. BOOMING punt goes all the way into the end zone for a touchback. A 73-yard punt for Faufata-Pedrina.

Spartans start on 27. Talavera with the first run for positive yardage in the game for Villa Park. Spartans go quick and Piferi finds Ancich for 24 yards into Damien territory. Piferi with an underthrow and the receiver has to commit PI to keep Damien from getting the INT. It’s first-and-30. Two 5-yard runs make it third-and-20. Timeout Villa Park. Pressure forces an incomplete pass and Villa Park will punt. No they fake it again. Looked like an easy false start and Damien might have froze but the play goes on and Johnson finds Daniel Asiata who looks to be stopped short but stays on his feet and somehow spins and gets the first down. Should have been an easy procedure call but it isn’t called. Damien coach Eddie Klaneski not happy. Fumbled snap though and Tristan Blair recovers for Damien.

Incomplete pass makes it fourth-and-8 at the Villa Park 44 and Damien will punt.

*******

Kaouhi and Faufata-Pedrina fumble the handoff but Kauohi recovers it as quarter ends.

Just a 5-yard punt and Villa Park takes over on its 46. Piferi has problems on the snap and Matthew Faufata-Pedrina with the recovery for Damien.

Kauohi runs for 5 to make it third-and-5. Screen pass to Arecchi who absolutely jukes a defender and turns it upfield for 20 yards into Villa Park territory. Parks picks up his second sack for a loss of 8. Boy Villa Park has some speed on D. Overthrow on third down and Damien will punt.

Villa Park tries a run but is called for holding. Piferi with a short completion and then a 10-yard pass to Dylan Bonilla. Third-and-6 and Spartans call timeout. Pass is short to Bonilla who steps out of bounds for fourth down. Villa Park fakes the punt and gets a 17-yard pass play plus a personal foul on Damien. Piferi finds Bonilla for a 25-yard TD. 7-0 Spartans, 3:20.

Senior Marcus Faufata-Pedrina at QB for Damien. Monarchs start on their own 8 after a penalty on the return. Damien goes four wide and them empty. They try a screen but Faufata-Pedrina improves and then shovels it to Lindon Sevellija who is off to the races. 47-yard reception into Spartans territory. DL Spencer Parks with a sack of Faufata-Pedrina to make it third-and-long. Faufata-Pedrina eludes the sack and takes off for 10 yards. It’s fourth-and-inches and Damien will go for it. Faufata-Pedrina sneaks it behind center to move the chains. Ball at the 34. RB Keoua Kauhi with a 12-yard run to the 22. DL Anthony Shipton (6-4, 315) with a sack to force third-and-long. Faufata-Pedrina misses on a throw and it’s fourth-and-12 at the 24. LB John Tua’vao comes on the blitz and gets the sack to force the turnover on downs.

Paul Piferi at QB for the Spartans. LB Braeden Halili with a tackle for loss on first play. After a dropped pass that might have gone for six, Spartans line up to go for it on fourth-and-1 but move early and will punt. Damien forces a three-and-out.

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